I’m sure
I’ve typed it somewhere before and I’ll likely find myself
typing it again before too long, but for classical music
it truly is both the best and worst of times: the best
in that never before has such a wide range of repertoire
and performances been so readily available to so many people. It
is the worst of times in that popularity of classical music
has suffered in the concert halls across the Western world,
leaving many orchestras and performing ensembles in difficult
straits. For the collector of recordings obscure, historical,
or unusual, however, we’ve truly hit the big-time. With
recent re-releases reviewed on this website, such as the
budget set of Rachmaninov’s complete recordings (see review)
as well as historical performances of those such as Gieseking
(see review)
and even recorded master classes by legends like
Cortot (see review),
the horizons are not only so vast, but they are of a decidedly
rosy hue.
Resonance,
the budget label for the Sanctuary records group, has here
re-released the flute quartets as done by the Melos Ensemble
and Richard Adeney. Adeney, a member of the English Chamber
Orchestra, and an artist closely associated with Benjamin
Britten, recorded these pieces in the late seventies. These
recordings appear to be the same ones re-released on ASV
(6099) as part of their budget line thirteen years ago. Considering
the popularity of this repertoire and the number of available
recordings, I thought I’d compare this with another similarly-priced
recording made at the same time as the Adeney/Melos — the
collection of Mozart’s works for flute that Renee Siebert
did for Vox back in 1977 (the original copyright of the
Adeney/Melos recording is 1978). The Adeney/Melos disc
has been given the budget treatment, with precious little
information in the notes, save for an essay by Richard
Townsend giving the historical context of these works. No
information aside from track listings is given — the names
of the performers, aside from that of Adeney, are sadly
absent. Vox is known for its extensive liner notes and
jam-packed discs at low prices, and Siebert’s set does
not disappoint in this regard.
Regarding
sound quality, for the Adeney/Melos, what is immediately
apparent is the wide stereo separation — essentially a “dual
monophonic” record in that the quartet is almost entirely
on the left channel, the flute on the right. The effect
is rather unsettling in headphones and sounds somewhat
artificial and strange on larger systems. The only instrument
that appears to share channels is the cello, which makes
for an odd soundstage. Adjustments could have been made
during remastering to alleviate this, as it mars the enjoyment
of playing that is overall light and balanced. The Siebert
recording on Vox is essentially in the same format, with
the quartet weighted to the left channel and the flute
to the right, but here there is more warmth, more of a
subtle stereophonic sound, and a brighter aesthetic. The
Adeney/Melos has a colder sound, not as nuanced, and the
added warmth of Siebert’s recording increases the attractiveness
of these pleasant works. One such example is the theme
and variations second movement of the K285c. In the Adeney/Melos
both the recording aesthetic and the playing gives a sense
of rather frosty detachment. Siebert, along with George
Neikrug’s wonderful cello performance, make the Vox recording
of the K285c the clear winner. In addition to the quartets,
the Vox set includes all of the other works Mozart wrote
for flute.
Mozart
disliked the flute, it is said, perhaps because the instrument
is limited in the tonal spectrum that other instruments
possess. Adeney’s performance here has less coloration
and nuance than other available performances, which isn’t
to say that these aren’t pleasant. This is enjoyable music,
regardless as to the composer’s view of the solo instrument,
and it is played adeptly. Fans of Adeney will likely rejoice
at the return of these quartets to the record store shelves
for a great price, but, even among other budget releases,
one can find warmer, more engaging performances such as
Siebert’s, and some of these actually name the performers
and include helpful liner notes.
David Blomenberg
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Richard
Adeney (flute) 
